Executive Update

Dear Friends,

As I reflect on another year, I’m thankful for many things. Your support, the strides we made together, and the progress we’ve achieved. For the first time in over three years, we have not felt the daily impacts and stresses of COVID-19 on our operations. Still, we faced many headwinds: from workforce hiring and retention to funding uncertainty to an increase in client acuity.

The Wedgwood Christian Services team pivoted, adapted, and persevered. It was challenging but necessary work to strengthen and stabilize our organization. We implemented our strategic plan, focused on our culture and staffing, and reorganized where necessary. As a result, we’ve been rewarded with a renewed passion and excitement around the abundance of possibilities to positively change the trajectory of the lives of the children and families we serve.

We were reminded of the important nature of our work by a former resident who spoke at our Anniversary Celebration this fall. As a child, Pauline was abandoned by her mother, abused by her father, and during the 80’s spent the better part of five years in Wedgwood’s care. She testified that because of the impact the people at, and supporters of, Wedgwood had, she was able to create a brighter future for herself – and her family. We were the place where she was embraced and accepted, not dismissed or turned away.

Pauline’s story still rings true today, through the children we see every day. Children who have seen more trauma in their short life than any human ever should. It is our job, our commitment to create a place where they can cope with their trauma and begin to thrive again.

Our focus in 2023 was and continues to be, improving care and enhancing our employee culture because the two are intimately connected. That’s why we were eager to implement a Board-approved compensation structure to collectively increase our wages by over a half-million dollars and bring both direct-care and support services employees up to market standards.

More competitive wages helped us attract additional candidates, increasing our excellent and caring workforce by 28%. In order to best meet the needs of our community for 2024, we plan to add another 80 direct care professionals.

The increase in staffing this past year allowed us to increase the number of children we could admit into our Residential Treatment Program by 61%. Wedgwood now serves roughly 12% of the State’s total residential care needs.

At our Autism Center for Child Development, ACCD, staffing, and service growth were priorities. We created a program and built a team to serve older children in an after-school setting. Moving into 2024, this team needs to add 6 professionals – behavior technicians – to provide 1:1 support and intervention.

It is through our commitment to God-honoring, quality care that we will be able to see more children experience hope and healing like Pauline. Our strength comes from our ability to take our love and care for all of God’s children and put it into action. Intentional action that continues to meet each child and family where they are, by providing the mental and behavioral health supports and services they need, in ways that truly address their challenges

I want to express my deepest thanks for your commitment to Wedgwood Christian Services which empowers us to continue in this important calling.

With God by our side, anything is possible.

God Bless,

Dr. Daniel T. Gowdy, Ed.D.
President/CEO